Complete MS-1029 BareBones System

I just purchased the following:

1. MS-1029: $709.99 - Buy.com
2. 2 yr. Ext. Warranty: $120.99 - Buy.com
3. AMD Turion MT37: $217.00 - Newegg.com
4. Crucial 1GB DDR333 SO-DIMM (PC 2700) - Newegg.com $100.00
5. HITACHI Travelstar 7K100: $140.00 - Newegg.com
6. MSI MS6855 802.11g+BT: $38.99 - Buy.com
7. Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound: $5.99 - Newegg.com

TOTAL INCL. S&T: $1400.16​

I only saved ~$80 as compared to a system built by RawPowerPC.com, but it sure was fun! Still, I have to build the thing in two days (hopefully), so please wish me luck.

 

Good luck! You do have a copy of Windows or Linux, or some other OS, right? It'd be pretty disappointing to build it and find out you need an OS.

 

Thanks! I do have a copy of XP Pro and yes, the barebones MS-1029 comes without one. I see your comment on the Turion64 in your sig. Is your "future" CPU rated at "25Watts" (whatever that really means)? The lower power consumption is why I [supposedly] chose the MT series of Turion64.

Once I get this system running, I will post benchmarks. Which tools do most people here use?

Thx,
Shawn

 

The Turion 64 MT series like yours has a 25W TDP, while ML uses 35W. That means the the MT will have better battery life. The Mobile Athlon 64 has a 62W TDP. In regards to my comment, since I was planning to uses the MS-1036 as a desktop replacement (DTR), I would have no need for a mobile processor such as a Turion 64. As a result, I wanted the most powerful Athlon 64 (4000+ 2.6GHz, $300) instead of the most powerful Turion (ML-44 2.4 GHz, $390). It is unfortunate though, that my parents just decided not to let me use my money to buy a notebook.

 

Congrats on your purchase. A little bit of advice though, pay special attention to the heatsink/AS5 installation. Remove stock thermal paste, apply AS5 in both GPU and CPU cores, install heatsink, wait 2 minutes and remove heatsink. Check that both cores left perfect rectangular traces of AS5 in the heatsink. If so, cleanup and reapply and you're good to go.

 

MGS2392:
Thanks for the clarification. I see that we are both doing the right thing for our applications.

As for the parents, you just need to figure out another "sales pitch"...

 

Hucsman,
Thanks for the tip! I will take pics of the "check" and post them here for reference.

One questions about the AS5: Will I be able to remove it from the heatsink if I later upgrade the CPU?

I read on another forum that it's a task (at best) after the compound is cooked for awhile.

Cheers,
-S

 

It's not bad - simple s****e off, just try not to scratch the heatsink. I would recommend you check the AS5 every few months, reapply as necessary.




edit: i guess you can't say "scr-ape" lol

 

Watch that language CS! LOL...

Chawnskie: Whenever you want to remove thermal paste, I'd recommend playing some GPU intensive game for about half an our, then turn off the computer and proceeed. That way the thermal paste is all warmed up (looser) and easier to remove.

 

Got the barebones MS-1029 today from Buy.com (great service). It's a fine piece of hardware. Unfortunately, all I can do is look at it and charge the battery! And take lots of pictures:

Chawnskie's new MS-1029

Does anybody know if you can ugrade the shipping method when it's already in transit?? ;-) The Newegg order shipped out of NJ instead of CA. Oh well.

-S

PS. And thanks for the AS5 tips...

 

That's a very sparse view, even if it is barebones.

 

Is anyone interested in one of these barebones or even an almost complete one? I have a barebones new for $720 and a compete one minus operating system for $1100

specks here for the barebones:
http://msicomputer.com/product/p_spec.asp?model=MS-1029&class=nb

Complete comes with
One MS-1029 w/ DVD Dual layer multifunction burner
• One AMD Turion MT-34
• Kingston DDR333 1Gb (512MB x 2)
• One Toshiba 100Gb/5400 RPM HDD
• 11g WLAN + Bluetooth (MS-6855B)

 

having shopped recently thats a very poor value.

 

i'm with stamar on this one